Tesco, Waitrose Take Divergent Paths for the Holidays

From Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson to quirky vignettes

U.K. supermarkets Tesco and Waitrose explore markedly different territory in their holiday campaigns. Read on for the long and the short of it.

That last line was a bit of delightfully amusing wordplay, because one marketer made a squishy 4-minute rom-com, while the other opted for deadpan vignettes.

First, Waitrose goes long with “The Perfect Gift.” It’s from Wonderhood Studios and director Molly Manners, starring Keira Knightley and Joe Wilkinson:

The Daily Mail opined: “This is Waitrose as pure middle-class aspiration, as wholesome as Christmas cake and as British as a pint in a pub called The Pie Makers Arms, which is where the advert starts.”

That pretty much sums it up. Traditional, comforting themes, a Love Actually reference as the requisite nod to nostalgia. Merry, merry. Now carve the roast beast.

Meanwhile, Tesco, BBH London and director Jeff Low crafted quick, quirky films about yuletide foibles and follies:

“We’re reframing and reveling in the reality that Christmas isn’t made by those picture-perfect moments,” says BBH ECD Felipe Serradourada Guimaraes. “It’s during the messy, weird and unscripted chaos where the Christmas spirit really kicks in. And that felt like a different take on the festive season.”

The naturalistic performances and tossed-off deliveries prove effective. They capture small moments in relatable ways without stooping to tired Santa, elf and reindeer tropes. (Why no rave though?)

Here’s some OOH including a snappy double-decker bus wrap, because England: